His confidence is often misconstrued as arrogance, and his choice of words is commonly criticised for a lack of humility.

But on the other side of the world, in a completely different market, Jarryd Hayne says he would feel more at home away from home.

All smiles: Jarryd Hayne after winning State of Origin series last month. Photo: Getty Images

He loves the limelight. He loves the drama. He loves the theatre of sport - and that is what makes American Football so appealing to the 26-year-old NSW fullback.

Advertisement

In Australia, he says, "everyone just wants to fit in rather than stand out".

Most players in the NRL would prefer to just fit in. But not Hayne.

A rare commodity: Hayne is a showman and a match winner. Photo: James Brickwood

He's stuck trying to be himself while fitting into a perception in Australian sport of what it truly means to be a superstar.

"Sport is about the show, it's about the entertainment," Hayne said.

"The American sportsmen, they get paid to entertain. Australia has that tall poppy syndrome where if you get ahead of yourself there's always someone pulling you back down. It's different. I was talking to [the Detroit Lions'] Reggie Bush about when he was here, I'm probably one of the athletes that lair up in a game and celebrate a try. In Australia people say 'he's a show pony, he carries on'.

"Reggie was just looking at me saying 'in America that's just standard'. He said 'If you don't celebrate a try, what, are you not passionate enough for your team'? Over here everyone just wants to fit in rather than stand out."

American sporting superstars like Miami Heat's LeBron James (NBA) and Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning (NFL) are not just athletes, they are global brands.

While there isn't the same amount of money or interest in Australian sport for athletes to demand anything near the money on offer in the US, Hayne believes the NRL could learn a lot from the American sports when it comes to turning their players into businesses.

The Eels fullback is frustrated by the sponsorship hurdles players have to overcome, adamant it is to the detriment of the game.

The players are the intellectual property of the NRL, who currently earns around 12 per cent royalty on any sponsorship deals the players make, and prohibit them from linking with brands that compete with the NRL's sponsors.

"The NRL want to own their players' image so the players are very restricted in what they can do," Hayne said.

"In the NFL, because they are in the market of competing with so many sports, they want their players to take up as much of the corporate sponsorship as possible. In league, the NRL try to take the most out of it then go to the players. Well it's the players who are the ones who are attracting the corporates and the dollars. If the players had more ownership of their image, they'd have more responsibility.

"If Marshawn Lynch [Seattle running back] goes and eats Skittles, the next day he's got a Skittles contract. Just little things like that, they are all about making the most of it while you can. The NRL is behind and it hasn't hit them yet. They don't understand it. We should be encouraging our top players to try and get every possible corporate sponsorship out there because we're competing against rugby, AFL, soccer and cricket.

"They are limiting and restricting it because of what they want to get out of it. They haven't found that balance, they haven't got the blueprint of what the NFL do. The NRL are always putting stops on it or there are always people you have to go through and check with this person and that person. At the end of the day, the NRL should be letting the players soak up as much of the corporate sector as possible."

Given the off-field headlines that have dominated rugby league over the past week, Hayne believes the players would clean up their acts if they had their own businesses and image on the line.

The enigmatic Blues No.1 insists players should be encouraged to do more than just sign a contract and watch the money roll in, adamant the extra responsibility will decrease the number of off-field misdemeanours that continue to plague the sport.

"You look at someone like Todd Carney. If he owned his image, I'm sure that things would have been a bit different," Hayne said.

"I'm not saying what he did wouldn't have happened but if you put more responsibility on the players and let them own their own image, commonsense prevails and they'll take more responsibility in the public eye. Some players do it, don't get me wrong. But if you give someone more ownership, they take it with a lot more maturity.

"This day and age you get your contract and that's it. You just sit back and that's all you have to do. But in the NFL when you get your contract, you then use your name as a business and see how far you can take it.

"If players had ownership of their image you'd see so much less drama because they know if they go out and do something wrong, they are denting their own image.

"Here, you don't own your image or your own brand, the NRL owns it. That's why it's a personal preference if you play up or not. Over there you rarely see any of the big superstars in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

"Obviously you have the fringe players that play up but Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch ... they don't play up. And from a media point of view, you'd have a lot more players being open to the media because it would be their brand. Here, you can't really create your own brand and venture out that much."

55 comments

Here here Jarryd! Very intelligent comments from a wise (& humble) young man. Good luck to him!

Commenter

a bc

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 9:53PM

The first article, about Hayne speculating on a career in the NFL, I read with interest but chose not to comment despite it being fanciful. However, when he is quoted talking about the "brand" and players owing their own, and their own image, it's clear that somebody has gotten in Hayne's ear and he really has no concept of what he is saying. Any comparison between the NFL, and the NRL, and specifically the revenue capacities available to each, and thus "players", is ludicrous. I have first hand experience with college football, the NFL and the NBA and in particular promotional activities for athletes. Those opportunities are linked in every sense to massive franchise advertizing machines and do not operate independently of them. Sport here is seasonal and specific, with some overlap, and fan interest, across 300+ million is maintained skillfully and ironically via some scarcity. I love my NRL and watch every game, every week but when you see crowds of 10,000 people, and nearly empty stands, you see the game for what it really is; a provincial sport that competes with three other codes during winter, in a total poulation base of 24+ million. Dream on Jarryd and realize that by the standards of your (mostly) working class fans, you are paid at an obscene level already.

Commenter

Steve

Location

Arizona, USA

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 12:31AM

Did you actually read the article? It is clear he knows exactly what he is talking about and what he says makes a lot of sense in regards to taking ownership of your own image and brand the same way other sports around the world have. As to your reference to "mostly working class fans" - apart from it being a stupid dig all sports around the world exist on a broad fan base, the premier football leagues in Europe are a classic example. An as to NFL - given the American population then the only way it exists is to have good solid working class citizens supporting it.

Commenter

Mitch

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 7:01AM

Nailed it.

Commenter

Seano

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 8:58AM

Steve, league only competes against aussie rules and union in winter. Soccer is played during the summer here.

p.s. Yeah Jarryd won't make $10-20 million contracts here - I don't think that's his point. He could make a lot more money and feel ownership of his 'brand' if he was allowed.

p.p.s. we're all working class unless you have somehow got a magic allowance to live off.

Commenter

wear the fox hat

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 9:01AM

Someone should tell Jarryd that he is playing a team game. The NFL is just a product of an individualistic American society which, thanks goodness, is in stark contrast to Australia. The San Antonio Spurs, won an NBA championship minus the egos so it's not necessary to strut around in order to be successful. Closer to home Jonathan Thurston & Greg Inglis are both better players than Hayne, yet they remain humble.

Commenter

josh

Location

sydney

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 4:09AM

Josh, you're one of the guys that Hayne is talking about.

Commenter

Mouse

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 8:03AM

This would have to win the title of most ironic comment of the day. Prior to moving to Australia I lived in the US, Canada, and Europe and I've never experienced a group of people more egotistical than Sydneysiders. Have you actually been overseas or are your prejudices just based on conjecture?

Commenter

Lost Art

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 8:09AM

Difference is Spurs players like Parker and Duncan earn $10 million plus a year and the NBA has a salary cap of over AUD $60 million for 13 or so players. New York City, a city of over 8 million, has two basketball, two American football, two baseball and soon two MLS teams. Thats 10 teams across 5 sports. Melbourne with a population of just over 4 million has 9 AFL, 1 NRL, 1 Super 15, 2 Big Bash teams and 2 A-League teams Thats 15 franchises across 5 sports. Sydney with a population of 4.75 million has 8.5 teams NRL teams, 2 AFL, 1 Super 15, 2 A-League and 2 Big Bash. Thats 15.5 franchises across 5 sports. Australian sports are run as mediocrities. We have the two most bloated sporting leagues in the world: NRL and AFL.

Commenter

Flippa

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 8:30AM

Hey Lost Art - remember that less than 4 million people live in Sydney. The rest of us are alright.